Adding-machine.



No. 695,2l7. P atented Mar. :1, I902.

' w. A. LANCKTON.

ADDING MACHINE.

(Application filed Oct. 28, 1901.) I (No Model.) 2 SheetsShaet l.

WITNESSES. INVEJVTUR.

.dttorn eys.

.THE mmms PCTERS co, PHQTDUTHDHWASH1NGTON, u c.

No. 695,2[1 Patented Mar. ll, I902.

W. A. LANCKTON.

ADDING MACHINE.

(AppXicatiou m M a, 4001.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheat 2.

WITNESSES. INVENTOR.

$2 M WWW/1% UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

WILLIAM A. LANCKTON, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO ACME ADDER MANUFACTURING OO., LIMITED, OF

DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

ADDING-MACHINE.

SPECIFIQATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 695,217, dated March11, 1902.

Application filed October 28, 1901. Serial No. 80,180. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM A. LANOKTON, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at Detroit, in the county of \Vayne and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new'and useful Improvements inAdding-Machines, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to improvements in adding-machines; and its objectis to provide a cheap and compact machine for adding several columns offigures with despatch and accuracy and to so construct the same that thefriction of the rotative annuliis reduced to the minimum and all bindingprevented, but a slight uniform degree of force thus being required tooperate the device. To this end I provide a suitable annular casin gwith walls or flanges having shoulders to form races for balls, whichballs support three rotative annuli or rings, all lying in the samehorizontal plane, the outer one being provided with numbers representingthe tens and units columns, the middle annulus the hundreds andthousands columns, and the inner annulus the tens and hundreds ofthousands columns. Beneath these annuli is suitable mechanism forconnecting the same, so that one revolution of one annulus will turn theone which is next within one space or number, and in the bottom of thecasing is an opening closed by a plate to which the said mechanism isattached, so that it may be readily removed. Above these annuli arestationary annuli provided with graduated scales and openings throughwhich the numbers on the rotative annuli appear.

It is also the object of my invention to pro vide the same with certainother new and usef ul features, all of which are hereinafter more fullydescribed, and particularly pointed out in the claims, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of adevice embodying my invention with parts broken away to show theconstruction. Fig. 2 is a section of the same on the lines o: m of Figs.1 and Fig. 3 is a plan View of one-half of the ma chine with the annuliremoved. Fig. 4 is an inverted plan view of the rotative annuli; and

Fig. 5 is a detail of the plate with the dogs attached, showing theiroperation.

1 is an annular casing consisting of a bottom 2 and the continuousvertical walls 3, 4, 5, and 6, extending upward therefrom, and in theangles formed by the junction with the bottom of the walls 3, 4:, and 6are formed the shoulders 7, which form ball-races for the balls 8.Supported by these balls near one edge and all lying in the samehorizontal plane are the rotative annuli 9, 10, and 11, the outerannulus 9 being provided at its inner edge with holes 12, equally spacedapart and numbered from O to 99, inclusive, these numbers representingthe units and tens columns. The middle annulus 10 is also provided withholes 12 near its outer edge, which holes are numbered the same as thosein ring 9, these numbers representing the hundreds and thousandscolumns, and the inner annulus 11 is spaced and also numbered the sameas the other rings, its numbers representing the tens and hundreds ofthousands columns, but is provided with but one hole 12, which hole isnear its inner edge and opposite the number 75.

A stationary annulus 13 is secured at its outer edge within a groove inthe top of the wall (3 and extends inward, with its underside inproximity to the surface of the annulus 9, a distance less than thewidth of said annulus, so as to expose the openings 12 therein, and atransverse opening 14 is provided in the annulus 13 to expose thenumbers on the annulus 9 beneath, one at a time, said annulus 13 beingprovided at its inner edge with a graduated scale, each line of which isopposite a hole 12 and numbered from O to 99, inclusive. An innerstationary annulus 15, with a similar graduated scale indicating thenumber of holes 12 in the annulus 10, is secured to the top of the wall.A and extends outward to near these holes 12, leaving them exposed, andinward to near the inner edge of the annulus 11, transverse openings 16and 17 being provided in said. annulus 15 opposite the opening 14 toexpose the numbers on the rings beneath, and extending across the annuli13 and 15, from the inner to the outer walls and secured theretoadjacent to the lines thereof marked 0, is the stop 18.

On the under side of the annulus 9 is a rib 19, having a shoulder toprevent the balls'8 from rolling from the shoulder 7, and to the underside of the annuli 10 and 11 are secured the toothed rings 20, the teethbeing formed on their peripheries, their inner edges also formingshoulders to retain the balls intheball-races. I prefer to use but fouror five of these balls in each race, segments of wire 21 beinginterposed between the same to stantially V-shaped, and secured to thebottom of the casing adjacent to said rings are the springs 24, havingtheir ends bent V- shaped to engage the teeth and equally hold theannuli from turning in either direction,

said springs being only strong enough to prevent accidental turning.

In the bottom of the casing is a circular opening closed by a plate 25,and above this plate the walls 4 and 5 are partially cut away to providespace for the dogs 26 and 27 ,which are pivoted on pins on said plate,the dogs 26 being provided with slots 28 to receive their pivot-pins.Springs 29 are secured at one end to the dogs 26 and engage the walls attheir opposite ends to hold the inner ends of said dogs in engagementwith the teeth of the rings 20, and the outer ends of the dogs areprovided with the inclines 30, adapted to be engaged by pins 31, whichextend downward from the annuli 9 and 10 and move therewith. In the sideof each of the slotted dogs 26 is a notchwhich is engaged by one of thedogs 27, each of said dogs 27 being pivoted intermediate its ends andprovided at its outer end with an incline 32, also adapted to be engagedby the pin 31.

To operate the machine, a style or tool having a suitable point toengage the holes 12 and turn the annuli may be employed. The rotativeannuli are first set at zero or with their numbers O showing through theopenings 14, 16, and 17, the inner annulus being so set by inserting theoperating-tool in the hole 12 of this annulus and turning the same untilthe tool comes in contact with the stop 18. Each hole 12 in the annulus9 represents a unit of the units and tens columns number of units to thecolumns"i"epresented 1 by the annulus turned, the scale-always indi-'cating the number of holes that any particular hole is distant from thestop. The pin 31 is so .positioned on the annulus 9 that when 57 saidannulus hasmade 'one complete revolution the pin will engage the incline30-of the dog 26, the opposite end of which is held 1n engagement withthe toothed ring 20, and

move the same longitudinally on its pivot-pin to turn the annulus 10 onespace. When the end of the slot 28 in said dog engages the pivot-pin,the longitudinal movement of the said dog is stopped and the outer endof said dog is forced inward by theincline 30 and the dog rocked on itspivot against the action n'al movement of said dog 26 turns the dog 27onits pivot, thus projecting its opposite end having the incline 32'intothe path of the pin 31, which pin upon further movement of its annuluswill engage said incline and turn the dog 27 to engage the notch on th26 and p move said dog 26 longitudinally on its pivot-" i pin to engagea newnotch of the toothed ring 20. A like arrangement of dogs isprovided to actuate the annulus 11 from theannulus I g 10, and thesprings 24 act to hold the annuli from being accidentally turned ineither direction and to bring the holes 12 directly opposite the linesof the scale. It willthus be seen that by this arrangement the innerannulus 11 is free to turn independently of the annulus 10, but may beturned by it, and that the annulus 10 may be turned withoutaifecting theannulus 9, but may be intermittentlymoved by it.

The advantage of providing the removable plate 25, on which the dogs arepivoted, is obvious, as the actuating mechanism is thus made accessiblefor repair and is easily replaced, the walls engaging the upper side ofthe dogs and preventing them from becoming disengaged from theirpivot-pins.

The annuli 9 and 10 do not contact the shoulders 22, but serve only assupports when the style is engaged with the holes 12 and downwardpressure applied and by supporting the annuli at one edge on the ballsthe friction is reduced to the minimum and all binding prevented.

What I claim as myinvention is- 1. In an adding-machine, in combination'with the casing thereof, rotative annuli mounted in hearings on saidcasing, a toothed mounted on said casing, a toothed ring secured to theunder side of the inner annulus, a dog provided with a slot and adaptedto engage the said toothed ring and having a notch in its side, apivot-pin on the casing engaging said slot, a dog pivoted to the casingand engaging said notch, and a pin on the outer annulus to engage theouter ends of said dogs.

3. In an adding-machine, in combination with the casing thereof,rotative annuli mounted in bearings on said casing, toothed rings on theinner annuli and a rib on the outer annulus, a friction-spring securedto the side of said rib and engaging the said casing, springs havingV-shaped ends to engage the toothed rings, dogs having slots and notchesand adapted to engage and turn the toothed rings, pivot-pins engagingthe slots and pivoted dogs engaging the notches, both the pivoted andslotted dogs being provided with inclines at their outer ends, springssecured to the inner ends of the slotted dogs to hold the same inengagement with the toothed rings, and fixed pins on the outer andintermediate annuli to engage the said inclines of the dogs and operatethe same.

4:. In an adding-machine, in combination, an annular casing providedwith a bottom having a circular opening, an outer peripheral wall havinga groove in its upper end and a shoulder on its inner side forming aball-race, an inner marginal wall provided with a like shoulder, anintermediate an nular Wall having a shoulder forming a ball-race and cutaway at its under side above the circular opening in the bottom of thecasing, anda second annular Wall also cut away above the circularopening in the bottom and provided with a shoulder at its inner andouter side to form supports for annuli, balls and Wire segments in saidball-races, rotative annuli supported by said balls at one of theiredges, the outer annulus being provided with a rib having a shoulder toengage and retain the balls in place, and the inner and intermediateannuli provided with toothed rings having shoulders to retain the ballsin the races, a circular plate secured in the opening in the bottom ofthe casing and having upwardly-projecting pins forming pivots, dogs eachhaving a slot to engage one of said pins and provided with an incline atits end and a notch in its side, and dogs pivoted on the other pins onthe plate and engaging the notches of the slotted dogs at one end andprovided with inclines at their opposite ends all of said dogs lyingpartially beneath the intermediate Walls of the casing within thecut-away portion thereof and engaged thereby at their upper sides tohold said dogs on their pivot-pins, a fixed pin on the said rib of theouter annulus and a fixed pin on the toothed ring of the intermediateannulus, a fixed annulus secured Within the groove of the peripheralWall and extending inward above the outer rotative annulus and providedWith a transverse slot, and a fixed annulus having transverse openingssecured to the upper end of one of the intermediate walls and extendedlaterally above the inner and intermediate annuli.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM A. LANCKTON. Witnesses:

Orro F. BARTHEL, JOSEPH A. NonLKE.

